'Pithy and clean': Why readers (and writers) keep going back to the short story

Author Sally Cranswick explores the timeless allure of short stories, celebrating their power and presence at the Franschhoek Literary Festival.

I could happily write a collection of short stories on why I love short stories. I think of a well-written short story as a timeless capsule of fictional perfection that can take the reader on an exquisite journey to the inner world of characters who show us what it is to feel, live, examine and explore life in one moment – or, as one of my favourite writers, David Sedaris puts it – "A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit."

From Anton Chekhov to Angela Carter, Ernest Hemingway to Haruki Murakami, the short story has a unique quality that readers and writers return to again and again. Far from being a "palate cleanser" – a phrase which makes me want to cry – the short story can stand up, straight-backed and fearless, perfectly well on its own.